Parents Protest Practices Of State Agency For Children

MIDDLETOWN — About a dozen parents picketed Thursday in front of juvenile court, protesting what they say are the unfair practices of the state Department of Children and Families.

``I've had enough of DCF and I'm fighting back,'' said an angry Lynn Fowler, 35, as she marched in front of the Middlesex Superior Court for Juvenile Matters on Main Street Extension with a placard that read ``DCF Stop The Harassment.''

``Parents have no rights,'' said Fowler, a single mother of three from Jewett City, a section of Griswold. ``They come to your house, they talk to the police, your neighbors, your schools.''

All the parents shared personal stories about run-ins with state investigators. Some were investigated after allegations of abuse or neglect.

One parent said she believes she has a right to discipline any one of her four children if they get out of hand. She said she did not want her name used in this article because she is afraid of retribution from the state.

``They received an anonymous complaint about possible physical abuse,'' she said. ``What they call physical abuse was a spanking. They tried to disrupt my family arrangement. They tried, but they found no proof.''

The protesters decided to focus their effort in Middletown Thursday because one of the parents, Sandra Brown of Colchester, was in court for an emancipation hearing for her daughter.

Patty and Joe Tomaso of Wallingford, who helped lead the rally, said the group's ultimate goal is to strengthen existing legislation protecting parents' rights.

Section 53a-18 of the General Statutes allows a parent to exercise ``reasonable physical force'' upon a minor or incompetent person, ``when and to the extent that he reasonably believes such to be necessary to maintain discipline or to promote the welfare of such minor or incompetent person.''

Problems arise when parents cross that fine line between discipline and abuse. That's when the state steps in, said David Dearborn, a spokesman for the state Department of Children and Families.

``Can you discipline your child? Yes,'' Dearborn said. ``Can you hit your child? Yes. But what the state law says today is if you cross that line from discipline to abuse, you are going to get a visit from a DCF worker.

``If what you do leaves bruises, scratches or red marks and a teacher or someone else reports it, are we going to investigate it?'' Dearborn said. ``You bet we are.''

Dearborn said that each complaint of abuse or neglect is thoroughly investigated on a case-by-case basis and that the juvenile court system, the department's ombudsman and the state's new child advocate all check and balance what is done when children are involved.

``To generalize and vilify a system without looking at each individual situation can be very misleading,'' Dearborn said. ``We do not operate in an arbitrary and capricious way. We have state laws that govern our investigations.''